American outdoor footwear brand KEEN has launched a collection of sandals featuring the artwork of Jerry Garcia, the late frontman of The Grateful Dead.

A legendary guitarist and rock history icon, Garcia’s love of painting is less well known. On top of his vast musical career, he also attended San Francisco Art Institute and devoted his time in-between touring to create over 2,000 art pieces including paintings, sketches, and illustrations. Two of Garcia’s vibrant watercolour pieces — “New York at Night” and “Banyan Tree” — were selected for the collaboration with support from his family.

The abstract strokes and colourful hues see the two signature styles of KEEN transformed, with a total of four limited-edition sandals being created for the collaboration. With the UNEEK sneaker sandals, the painting features heavily on the tongue, strap and insole, while the Newport H2 also has a colourful outsole. The sandals come packaged in a shoebox adorned with Garcia’s signature fish drawing, as well as a sketch of a tiger gracing one of his favourite guitars.

The KEEN x Garcia collection will be available for pre-order shortly, with the UNEEK sandal available at www.keenfootwear.hk from 9 September, and the Newport H2 dropping later in the month.